


Ready or Not?

by Resacon1990



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Garrus Feels, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-29
Updated: 2013-06-29
Packaged: 2017-12-16 13:18:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/862461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resacon1990/pseuds/Resacon1990
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garrus is lucky. That's the only word he can really think to describe himself at the moment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ready or Not?

Garrus is lucky. That's the only word he can really think to describe himself at the moment. 

 

He looks around his home and he smiles as he sees the others. He watches Kasumi teasing Jacob, cloaking then uncloaking herself for brief moments to drive him insane with brief kisses, interrupting his conversations with the others much to their amusement. He watches Wrex still latched onto Bakara, boasting loudly to anyone who comes within ear shot, so really the whole room, that she's pregnant and he's going to be a _dad_. He watches Chakwas being pulled around the room by Adams in a dance, Vega shoving the food he made down everyone's throats as Cortez follows at a slower pace laughing and shaking his head, Joker swaying on his feet and declaring that he is a "sex god", Javik watching him with utter confusion before being led away by a "tsking" Liara.

 

He watches it all and smiles, because they're all family to him.

 

But his eyes linger on the corner the most, where he sees Tali sitting quietly, swaying to the music and conversing with Kaidan. He knows what it's about, he knows she talking about her stomach and he smiles as her hands stroke the bump as she talks, and he sees the way Kaidan listens to her in rapt attention, taking everything she says about her pregnancy in despite some of the others being bored of it hours ago.

 

"You ready to be a Dad?" And Garrus smiles at the voice as he turns to chink his bottle against Shepard's before downing a sip.

 

"I don't know," he admits truthfully, and he really doesn't. For years they'd been saying it wasn't possible, that Turian's and Quarian's just weren't able to interbreed, and he'd accepted that. He'd always wanted to be a dad, to have a small child that would come to him for anything and everything. The idea he couldn't have that child with Tali had crushed him, but after a few years, after the wedding and honeymoon and tripping around to various exotic planets with strange substances, Garrus had nearly cried with happiness at Tali's announcement.

 

"You'll be fine."

 

"And if I'm not?"

 

Shepard just snorts and doesn't reply, taking a drink instead. Garrus watches him this time, instead of the others and he sees the longing on his friends face as Shepard watches Kaidan laugh and touch Tali's stomach too, and Garrus doesn't like what he sees there. The sad acceptance.

 

"You'll be a good father too, one day," he chooses to comment and he's not prepared for the bitter laugh.

 

"That's not even anatomically possible, Garrus."

 

"It wasn't for me and Tali."

 

"At least you have the 'parts' to procreate," Shepard sighs, but gives Garrus a smile, a sad one, but one nonetheless. "It's a nice sentiment though." He doesn't say anything else nor does he give Garrus the chance to speak, just tosses back the last of his drink before moving off towards some of the others.

 

He feels horrible as he watches his friend go. If there was anyone who was deserving of a family, of people who love them unconditionally, it was Shepard. He already had that in Kaidan, and Garrus' mouth turns up in a smile as he sees Shepard stand beside the other man and tug Kaidan's face into his stomach as he rubs his fingers through his hair affectionately, but seeing Shepard with a small child? That would be a wonderful sight.

 

The night passes after that, and Garrus joins in the festivities a lot more as the alcohol settles in his blood stream and he loosens up.  He dances with the others, waltzing with Chakwas, swinging around Kasumi, tumbling awkwardly with Liara. He even gets dragged into a quick two-step with Kaidan before Shepard intervened and tugs the other away in a whirlwind of laughter. Javik blurts out weird philosophical questions through drunken slurs which Garrus tries to answer, Vega shoves odd tasting foods down his throat and Cortez holds out napkins for him to discretely spit them back out, and Tali, beautiful Tali, slips her arms around his neck and presses kisses to his face with the loud calls of encouragement from their crew.

 

It's not long until they begin to filter out, tripping over the threshold and bellowing goodbyes. Tali's subjected to hugs, pats on the stomach, vigorous 'good luck's and the sweet pecks on the cheek, while Garrus is slapped around, yelled at and at one point sloppily kissed by a completely smashed off his face Joker.

 

He has to admit, it's a relief to slam the door on the giggling pilot and his apologetic robot girlfriend.

 

When he returns to the main room though, he pauses at the doorway and leans against it, content to watch Shepard and Kaidan with his wife. The room is a lot cleaner than when he left to usher the others out, and he sees Shepard dropping a bag of rubbish in the kitchen before return to the other two. Sympathy courses through him again at seeing Shepard's longing look when Kaidan laughs and touches Tali's stomach, and he knows that he's not the only one to notice as Tali sends him a forlorn look before covering Shepard's hand with her own and pressing it to her stomach beside Kaidan's.

 

"You'll have your own too soon," she says and Kaidan looks lost and slightly reluctant as he murmurs a "maybe" before pulling back and sinking into Shepard's embrace. Garrus takes that as his cue to walk forward, slipping an arm around Tali's waist and focusing on the other couple.

 

"Would you like to stay?" he asks, because he knows that the two in front of him tend to become overly nostalgic when they have big get togethers, and he knows that sometimes Shepard shrinks away from Kaidan and they both get lonely. But Kaidan shakes his head and says they need to go home, and Garrus just nods and hugs him.

 

They leave after a moment, and Garrus finds himself standing with his wife in the now empty room, soft music playing in the background.

 

"Tali?" he asks after a quiet period, and she looks up at him with those gorgeous eyes that he still thinks of as breathtaking like the first time he ever saw them, "do you think they'll be okay?"

 

She just smiles, and Garrus finds himself relaxing almost instantly as her palm settles on his cheek, brushing the scar tissue lightly. "Of course," she reassures, "I don't think Kaidan will let him go ever again, no matter what. A death, a falsely confirmed death, numerous near death experiences and just their solid stubbornness will keep them together."

 

Garrus laughs softly and leans into her touch, closing his eyes and just soaking in the feeling. He hears her humming contently a long with the music and without really thinking he reaches out and cradles her waist with his arms, drawing her closer. There's a soft laugh from her that he cracks open his eyes to watch cross her face before she's leaning against him, moulding her body against his.

 

Slowly he starts to sway them on the spot, moving fluidly with the music and Tali's sighs contently as her head rests on his chest.

 

"I love you, you know," she murmurs after a bit, and Garrus hums in acknowledgement as he turns them. He can feel her hands resting on his neck, her face on his chest, her baby bump pressing against his stomach and he feels his roll with excitement at know that _his child_ is in there, in the woman he loves.

 

It's perfect as she pulls back slightly just as he lowers his head, and their mouths brush in a sweet kiss that makes him smile hard enough to nearly split his cheeks. Tali's always made him feel like this, light and wonderful.

 

"You're going to be a wonderful mother," he tells her as their eyes linger in sweet contact.

 

"And you're going to make the perfect father."

 

Unlike Shepard, when Tali says it Garrus believes it. When he sees that sincere look, that one that basically screams conviction, he can't help but nod slowly and accept that maybe, just maybe he might be a good father.

 

He pulls her back in then, lightly skimming his mouth over her forehead in a delicate kiss before resting his head on hers as they sway. She's enveloped in his arms, her breath beating lightly against the fabric covering his shirt and he feels _warm_.

 

Yeah. Lucky sounds about right.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr?](http://resacon1990.tumblr.com/)


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